AD complains of buildings replacing planned park

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday called on the Munxar council to respect the residents' will and to stop developing a stretch of land that had been earmarked as a park.

During a press conference at the site, AD chairman Harry Vassallo said it was unacceptable for any politician to ignore the clearly expressed will of the people.

Munxar council had a clear mandate from its residents to create a park in the open area in the heart of their village, he said.

He also commented on the permit issued by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, saying that it was surprising that the latest plan, which incorporated buildings occupying a vast area in the middle of a public open space, had been approved.

A recreational area in Munxar had been promised to the local population for several decades, he continued, insisting that generation after generation had been disappointed first by central government and now by local government.

"It is no longer a small local matter. It is a matter of democracy as experienced by Munxar residents on their very doorsteps," Dr Vassallo said.

"The fact that works have started with a clearing of the site and construction directly against the wishes of the population, fits into the general fait accompli policy adopted also on a national level with complete disregard of the clearly expressed wishes of the majority in order to accommodate either a small minority or even a private person," he said.